Number of overseas students continue to fall in Australia

MELBOURNE: Australia's education industry has witnessed an 8.7 per cent drop in international enrolments this year, particularly from India following a spate of violent attacks on Indians.

Tightening of student visa rules by Australia is also blamed for the sharp decline in the enrolment of the foreign students.

Australian education providers have reported an 8.7 per cent drop in international enrolments during the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year, 'The Age' reported.

The hardest hit enrolments were recorded in the vocational education and English language areas, where numbers fell more than 21 per cent on March last year.

The report said the biggest challenge for the sector is the Indian market where the numbers all sectors fell by 30.4 per cent, continuing the year's trend, outlined in figures released in April for February enrolments.

It also recorded a drop of 19 per cent from Nepal and 17 per cent from Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, higher education sector enjoyed modest growth, with a 3.6 per cent increase on last year's enrolments with many universities stating that growth was consistent.

Apart from attributing the drop to 'safety issues of Indian students', many education experts have also blamed Australian government for tightening immigration laws that were leading to the drop in student enrolments.